Xi Jinping greets Chuck Hagel at the Great Hall of the People. Photo: Reuters

President Xi Jinping set the tone for developing military ties between China and the United States during talks with US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel, saying the two militaries should "properly manage conflicts" and avoid confrontation.

The talks between the two came a day after Hagel and Defence Minister Chang Wanquan exchanged fire on a range of issues that could threaten ties and after China's top envoy warned the US against creating an "Asian Nato".

"Both sides should stick to the principle of non-confrontational, non-conflict, mutual respect and mutual benefit to proactively push for pragmatic co-operation in various aspects," Xi was quoted as saying by CCTV.

"The scope of co-operation between China and the US is wider under the current complicated international conditions."

Xi and Hagel's meeting focused less on contentious issues, said two US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

China criticised the US yesterday for passing a bill permitting the sale to Taiwan of four second-hand US warships.

Watch: China's Xi Jinping meets US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel

"This act is highly damaging, and doubtless will seriously … damage the development of Sino-US military ties and the peaceful development of cross-strait relations," said defence ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng .

Hagel said the US had to honour its security treaty obligations with Japan and the Philippines.

The two sides vowed to avoid the risk of miscalculation, and pledged to make progress on a notification mechanism for navy and air force activities at sea.

Zhang Baohui, a security specialist at Lingnan University, said negotiations for the protocol would take a long time. "The US will insist that it is legitimate for them to do surveillance in waters around China, but China will still regard such moves as a threat to national security," he said.

In New York on Tuesday, Ambassador Cui Tiankai said Washington needed to think hard about the purpose of its military presence in Asia. "If your intention is to establish an Asian Nato, we are back in the cold war era. This is something that will serve nobody's interest," he said.

Reuters, Bloomberg

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Xi calls for closer US military ties

The US should be told to stop being a troublemaker, stop supporting barbaric Japan and to respect international law.

nantamco Apr 10th 20141:17am

Finally - a China Leader for the times!

jenniepc Apr 10th 201412:49am

However, in their prudish haste and uncontrolled zeal to achieve this strategic advantage the West has clumsily created a consummate and unnecessary mess in that part of the world, a mess that will have deep global and long lasting reverberations and consequences which will not necessarily benefit but may well hurt the West.I wrote an article on Oct. 16, 2013 about : "President Obama's China containment strategy is “suicidal playing with fire”." posted in Facebook and Jennie PC Chiang's BlogJennie PC Chiang/江佩珍 04/08/14 美國

jenniepc Apr 10th 201412:38am

as well as the opposition.
Second mistake, the United States and the EU have treated Russia as another Iraq or Libya, with threat of economic sanction or other actions. But President Putin who is neither Gorbachev or drunken Yeltsin cannot be so easily pushed around or manipulated.Third error, the United States and the EU should have stuck to the original agreement, even to restore Mr. Yanukovych to the Presidency of Ukraine and wait until new elections in May. There was much better than 50% chance that Ukrainians themselves would have elected a new pro-EU and pro-American president, whereby Ukraine would not have to lose Crimea and would still have joined the EU with minimal delay. The fact of the matter is that Ukraine got itself into this situation due to internal political conflict and strive, though through relentless strong-arming and strong instigation by the West. The EU and US should have been more patient and far-sighted. They should have backed down and cut Ukraine some slack rather than arrogantly pressing Ukraine with ultimatums regarding joining the EU . Its clear that if the West wants to contain Russia, American or Nato’s control of the Black Sea and the Crimea via this newly installed government, as a proxy perhaps, is definitely a game changer of a move.
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Jennie PC Chiang/江佩珍 04/08/14 美國

jenniepc Apr 10th 201412:35am

"Xi Jinping urges US defense chief Chuck Hagel to work on closer military ties with China" It would be good to any party and the world. However, It will be hard for China to work with US when US tries to use any means to suppress China. US military containment of China is the facts. Indeed, Japan and South Korea all Claimed that US needs either side to contain China each time when Japan and South Korea have a conflict or words of the war. US and EU want to dominate the world and they are so paranoia about China as China gradually become a developed country. China and Chinese view Americans as a friend and President Obama or its government treat China as an adversary.
US or EU under the name of democracy or have recklessly resorted to any means to create confusion in the vast majority of the world's problems to achieve their purpose of dominating the world, and these problems would eventually return to haunt them.
Ukraine is a good example.
Regarding the EU and U.S handling of Ukrainian crisis:
First mistake, the EU and the US are blindly over-eager to recognize the new leadership in Kiev whom Russia considers to have hijacked their unconstitutional political roles via a violent coup. The question is how legitimate are the new Kiev leaders themselves, included Mr. Yatsenyuk, and by which standards of legitimacy? The EU and the US broke the agreement sponsored by the United States and signed by the European Union, the then President Yanukovych
Pg.1/2 Jennie PC Chiang